The Centre national du cinéma et de l'image animée (CNC) confirmed plans to launch a training program for international pairs of authors to prioritize the stakes and challenges of co-writing international series. The initiative is launched in partnership with the France-based Series Mania festival, the coproduction and networking market Conecta Fiction & Entertainment (Spain) and the Sarajevo Film Festival – CineLink Industry Days in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
"Going European’s purpose is to be more than just a training program for authors," a company statement reads. "In this regard, the CNC and its partners will use the participants' feedback and their work during the program to establish and disseminate a repertoire of best practices for the co-writing and international co-production of series. Sharing some of this material with professionals of the sector will structure a collective reflection on the conditions of creation, production, financing, distribution and promotion of international series, while contributing to the emergence of European and Francophone intellectual properties."
Funded by the MEDIA program of the European Commission for a period of three years (2023-2025), the initiative will accompany five pairs of authors per year, a total of thirty professionals throughout the program, all engaged in international co-writing projects. Each year, the ten resident authors will take part in three training sessions of one week each during the partner events. The program includes meetings with renowned professionals, workshops and masterclasses on the specific issues involved in the conception, sale and distribution of an international series, including creative, financial, contractual, regulatory, environmental aspects.
The five pairs are chosen on an annual basis: three by the CNC from among the winners of the co-writing grant for international co-productions (COCO-I) and two by Conecta Fiction & Entertainment and the Sarajevo Film Festival – CineLink Industry Days. "The aim is to create a group of authors with diverse backgrounds, experiences and nationalities, united by the desire to share their experiences and promote international co-writing," the company explains.
